Accessory trim means for domestic appliance



J ly 16. 1968 5. R. SHERMAN 3,392,720

ACCESSORY TRIM MEANS FOR DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed Jan. 16, 1967INVENTOR. GEORGE R. SHERMAN ms ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,392,720ACCESSORY TRIM MEANS FUR DOMESTIC APPLIANCE George R. Sherman,Louisville, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York Filed Jan. 16, 1967, Ser. No. 609,446 4 Claims. (Cl. 126211)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to afree-standing kitchen appliance such as domestic range that is adaptedto be positioned in a kitchen cabinet and countertop structure, andparticularly to the design of side trim strips and vertically adjustablemeans for fastening the trim strips in place to close the gap betweenthe side edges of the cooktop and the adjacent edges of the countertop.The side trim strips are elongated and of inverted L-shape with a seriesof vertically spaced horizontal ridges on the inner face of the lowerportion of the trim strip. One or more spring clips are mounted on eachside of the appliance for receiving the lower portion of the trim stripso that the trim strip may be forced down into tight contact with thetop surface of the edge of an adjacent cabinet and countertop structure.

This invention is an improved modification of the accessory trim meansdisclosed and claimed in the patent of George A. Scott No. 3,169,518,which is also assigned to the General Electric Company, the assignee ofthe present invention.

There is a definite trend in the design of kitchen appliances to providemore oven models that are capable of being built into the wall of thekitchen, and notching out or separating the kitchen cabinet andcountertop structure for receiving a complete appliance therein. Thetrend toward a one-piece built-in range incorporating a combined cooktopand oven was pioneered by the :design of William Nielsen as disclosed inhis Patent 3,051,160 which is also assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention. In the Nielsen design, the range was solely abuilt-in model in that it could not stand on the floor, but was adaptedto be suspended from the side edges of the countertop. A more universaldesign would be to provide a range that could either be used as afree-standing range or one that could be adapted to appear as if it werebuilt into the kitchen counter. The latter design is the preferreddesign to receive the accessory trim means of the present invention,where the range is manufactured as a freestanding model with acabinet-matching panel positioned under the oven door, and special trimstrips capable of being attached to the two sides of the cooktop by clipmembers for closing the gap between the side edges of the cooktop andthe adjacent edges of the countertop.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide accessorytrim means for opposite sides of the top surface of a domestic appliancewhere the trim means is vertically adjustable to compensate for varyingheights of countertop.

A further object of the present invention is to provide accessory trimmeans for the side edges of the cooktop of a domestic range where thefront end of the trim means may be fashioned to conform to the frontedge profile of the countertop.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide separatespring clip members for holding the trim strips of the class describedto the side edges of the cooktop of a domestic range.

The present invention, in accordance with one form thereof, is adaptedto be usable with a domestic appliance such as a range that includes acombined cooktop and oven wherein there is a narrow spacing in the sidewalls of the range body between the cooktop and th oven. Trim means areprovided at each side of the cooktop for over-lying the adjacent edge ofthe countertop. Each trim means comprises at least one spring clipmember and an elongated, angular trim strip, where the clip member isadapted to be inserted into the narrow spacing between the cooktop andthe oven and held therein against removal. The trim strip has ahorizontal top flange and a vertical bottom flange where the bottomflange is adapted to be held against the side of the cooktop by means ofthe clip member. There is a vertically adjustable tongue and groovemating relationship between the bottom flange of the trimstrip and theclip member so that the trim strip may be vertically adjusted withrespect to the top surface of the adjacent edge of the countertop. Afurther modification is to have the bottom flange of the trim stripterminate adjacent the front edge of the countertop, while the topflange of the trim strip is extended so that it may be folded down andunder the front edge of the countertop. Fastening means are adapted tohold the folded-under end of the trim strip to the underside of thecountertop.

My invention will be better understood from the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and its scope will bepointed out in the appended claims.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a free-standing electric rangepositioned in a space created between two kitchen cabinet and countertopmodules, and showing vertically adjustable trim strips along the twoside edge of the cooktop of the range as is embodied by the presentinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a detailed cross-sectional, fragmentary view on an enlargedscale taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 at the right side of the rangeto show the interrelation between the elongated trim strip and thespring clip member and the relative position of the side of the cooktopwith the side of the countertop.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional, side view taken on the line33 of FIGURE 2 to show the nature of the front end of the trim strip andhow the top flange is folded down and under the front edge of thecountertop and fastened thereto.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of one of the spring clip members in itsunsprung condition before it is assembled to the side of the range forholding the elongated trim strip in place.

Turning now to a consideration of the drawing and in particular toFIGURE 1, there is shown one type of freestanding electric range 10 withwhich the present invention is adapted to be used. Located on both sidesof the range is a kitchen cabinet and countertop module 11 that areshown as identical pieces for the sake of simplicity except that thedoors are reversed; but, of course, there are innumerable variations andcombinations of kitchen cabinet designs with utensil drawers and storageshelves and the like. The storage shelves (not shown) would be locatedin the cabinet portion 11 and would be acesssi-ble upon opening thefront cabinet door 13. The cabinet 11 is covered with a fiat countertop14 of laminated plastic material or the like such as Textolite.Moreover, the back edge of the countertop 14 is provided with a raisedmolding 15 so as to prevent the spillage of liquids and food crumbsbehind the cabinet 11. The lower edge of the front of the cabinet 11 isrecessed as at 16 so as to provide a recessed toe-kick that allows aperson to stand close to the front of the counter with the feetpartially underlying the front wall of the cabinet.

While the domestic range 10 is shown as an electric range, it willreadily be apparent to those skilled in this art that the type ofheating means for the range is not critical as it could just as well bea gas range without departing from the scope of the present invention.Also, there is nothing in this invention to limit its use to the rangeart for it could be used with other free-standing kitchen appliancessuch as automatic clothes washers and dryers, automatic dishwashers,compact refrigerators and perhaps domestic incinerators and hot waterheaters. The kitchen cabinets 11 are generally built in modular formminus the countertop 14 so that the lower cabinet structure may beassembled in place and fastened both to the floor, to the wall and toeach other. Finally the countertop 14 is placed thereover and fastenedin place.

The range has a top cooking surface or cooktop and an underlying oven 21that is adapted to be closed by a front-opening drop door 22. Thecooktop 20 is provided with a plurality of surface heating means 24,which in the case of an electric range would be an electrical resistanceheating element, or in the case of a gas range would be a gas burner.Along the back edge of the cooktop 20 is shown a backsplash 25 that is araised structure to serve as a control housing with a front controlpanel 26, as is somewhat conventional in this art. Such a control panelwould include controls for both the heating elements 24 and the oven 21;for example, a multiple pushbutton switch 28 for each surface unit, anda combined oven selector switch and thermostat 29 for the oven. The ovendoor has an elongated handle 31 mounted on the door adjacent the topfree edge thereof. Located beneath the oven 21 is a storage drawer 32for storing kitchen utensils such as pots, pans and cookie sheets andthe like. In some range models, this storage drawer 32 might be providedwith a false front panel such as a wood grain panel that would match thewood grain of the cabinet module 11 so this range .10 would appear to besuspended from or built into the cabinet structure and matching themodern decor of the newest kitchen designs.

As mentioned previously, the range 10 has a range body that includes thecooktop 20 and the underlying oven 21. Looking at at FIGURE 2, it shouldbe noticed that the cooktop 20 is provided with a down-turned side Wall33 which has its lower edge folded inward to form a flange 34. Moreover,the side wall of the oven body 21 has its top edge folded inward to forma matching flange 36 to serve as a support for spacers (not shown) forsupport of the flange 34 of the cooktop 20. Screw fastening means (notshown) are attached between the cooktop and the oven body to combinethese two elements into a unitary range body. These fastening meansserve to provide a slight spacing 35 between the flanges 34 and 36.

In the illustration in FIGURE 1, the two kitchen cabinet and countertopmodules 11 are of identical design and they are merely spaced apart by adistance substantially equal to the width of the range 10. Accordingly,the range may he slid into place between the two cabinet modules 11until the range is flush against the wall of the kitchen. It is well toprovide some means for trimming or closing the space or gap createdbetween the side edge of the cooktop 20 and the adjacent edge of thecountertop 14.

Up to this point the description of the kitchen cabinets 1.1 and therange 10 are of generally standard designs and the details have beengiven to explain the environment in which the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is to be used. The use of some trim means isdesirable between the side edge of the cooktop 20 and the adjacent edgeof the countertop 14 not only to provide a better appearance, but alsoto serve the utilitarian function of preventing liquids and food crumbsfrom falling between the side of the range and the counter. It isdiflicult to clean under and around a range unless it is provided withrollers to facilitate the ease of moving the range out of its normalposition. While this invention is shown with trim means at both sides ofthe range, it will be understood by those skilled in this art thatfrequently ranges are built at the end of a counter run, hence, the trimmeans would only be necessary along one side, and the opposite side ofthe range would be exposed at all times.

The trim means of the present invention is identical for both sides ofthe range, therefore, it is felt necessary to describe only one suchmeans in detail. The trim means comprises at least one spring clipmember 40, near the rear of the range, and an elongated trim strip 41.The nature of the clip member 40 is best seen in the unsprung conditionof FIGURE 4 as being of thin spring stock of angular form that isnormally in the form of an acute angle with a lower base leg 43 and anupwardly inclined finger portion 44 that rises from one end of the baseleg 43. The opposite end of the base leg 43 is formed with a slightturned-over hook end 45. This clip member 40-is adapted to be installedwith the base leg 43 confined within the slight spacing 35 between theflange 34 of the cooktop and the flange 36 of the oven body as is bestseen in FIGURE 2. Notice that the hook end 45 of the base leg of theclip member is caught behind the free edge of the flange 34 of thecooktop 20 and serves as a holding means, while the upright finger 44has been deflected into a generally perpendicular stance so as to bespring biased against the side wall 33 of the cooktop. This springaction tends to raise the hook end slightly into a locking position.Notice that the inner surface of the raised finger 44 of the clip memberis provided with a lanced tab or barb 47 which is down-turned. Also, thetop edge of the finger 44 is tapered or rolled outward as at 49.

Now, turning to a consideration of the trim strip 41, as best seen inFIGURE 2, it is an inverted L-shaped member with a decorative finishhaving a horizontal top flange 51 and a vertical bottom flange 52. Theinner surface of the bottom flange 52 is provided with a plurality ofvertically spaced horizontally extending ridges or corrugations 53 whichextend for the complete length of the flange 52. This vertical bottomflange 52 of the trim strip 41 is adapted to be held against the sidewall 33 of the cooktop 20 by means of the vertical finger 44 of the clipmember 40. The barb or tab 47 of the clip member would tend to slideover the corrugations or ridges 53 as the trim strip 41 is forced downinto the space between the cooktop 20 and countertop 14 until the topflange 51 of the trim strip rests upon the top surface of the countertop14. The trim strip is held in this position because the tab 47 will notslide down over the corrugations to allow the trim strip 41 to moveupwardly. While only one clip member 40 is shown for the trim strip 4.1,it will be understood that additional clip members could or would beused without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As for the front treatment of the trim strip 40, the vertical bottomflange 52 of the trim strip is substantially flush with the front edgeof the countertop as is best seen at 55 in FIGURE 3, while the topflange 51 of the trim strip is extended so that it may be folded downand under the front edge of the countertop. A suitable screw opening 57would be provided in the free end of the top flange 51 and a wood screw58 is shown in dotted line for extending through the opening 57 and intothe countertop 14 for making a permanent connection of the trim strip 41to the countertop. The trim strip 41 is made with an oversized length sothat the rear end may be cut off to custom fit the length to theindividual countertop.

Modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in this art,therefore, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that it is intended to coverall modifications which are Within the true spirit and scope of thisinven tion as claimed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. A free-standing range comprising a range body that includes acombined cooktop and oven body wherein the cooktop is provided with aplurality of surface heating means and the oven is disposed directlybeneath the cooktop, there being a slight gap in the side walls of therange body between the cooktop and the oven, the range being adapted tobe positioned in a kitchen cabinet and countertop structure; theinvention comprising trim means for closing the gap between the sideedge of the cooktop and the adjacent edge of the countertop, said trimmeans comprising at least one clip member confined in the gap in eachside wall between the cooktop and the oven, each clip member having anupwardly directed finger in close relationship with the side of thecooktop, and an inverted L-shaped trim strip for each side of the range,each trim strip having a horizontal top portion to overlie the adjacentedge of the countertop and a vertical lower portion that is sandwichedbetween the side of the cooktop and the upwardly directed finger of theclip member, there being a vertically adjustable interlocking means forthe vertical lower portion of the trim member and the upwardly directedfinger of the clip member, said interlocking means comprising at leastone barb on one of the members and a plurality of vertically spacedhorizontal ridges on the other member.

2. A free-standing range comprising a range body that includes acombined cooktop and oven body wherein the cooktop is provided with aplurality of surface heating means and the oven is disposed directlybeneath the cooktop, there being a slight gap in the side walls of therange body between the cooktop and the oven, the range being adapted tobe positioned in a kitchen cabinet and countertop structure; theinvention comprising trim means for closing the gap between the sideedge of the cooktop and the adjacent edge of the countertop, said trimmeans comprising at least one clip member and a trim strip at each sideof the cooktop, the clip member being an angular piece with a horizontallower portion confined in the gap between the oven and cooktop and agenerally vertical finger portion in close proximity to the side of thecooktop, the trim strip being an elongated angular member with ahorizontal top portion and a vertical bot tom portion that is heldagainst the side of the cooktop by the vertical finger of the clipmember, there being a vertically adjustable tongue and groove matingrelation ship between the vertical finger of the clip member and thevertical bottom portion of the trim strip, the front end of the trimstrip having an extended horizontal top portion that is adapted to beformed across and under the front edge of the cooktop, and fasteningmeans adapted to attach the folded-under end of the top portion of thetrim strip to the underside of the countertop.

3. A domestic range comprising a range body that includes a combinedcooktop and oven wherein the cooktop is provided with a plurality ofsurface heating means and the oven is disposed directly beneath thecooktop, the range being adapted to be positioned against a kitchencabinet and countertop structure; the invention comprising trim meansbetween at least one side of the range and the adjacent edge of thecountertop, said trim means comprising at least one clip member and anelongated trim strip, the clip member being a spring member with anupwardly directed finger portion which is biased into a generallyvertical position and means for attaching the clip member to the side ofthe range body, the trim strip being an inverted right angular memberwith a horizontal top flange and a vertical bottom flange, a lanced tabformed on the upwardly directed finger portion of the clip member, theinner surface of the vertical bottom flange of the trim strip having aseries of vertically spaced horizontal ridges for cooperation with thesaid lanced tab, whereby the trim strip may be positioned with itsvertical bottom flange held against the side of the cooktop by thefinger portion of the clip member, the top flange of the trim stripbeing generally flush with the top surface of the cooktop and the topsurface of the countertop.

4. A domestic range having a range body that includes a combined cooktopand oven wherein the cooktop is provided with a plurality of surfaceheating means and the oven is disposed directly beneath the cooktop,there being a narrow spacing in the side walls of the range body betweenthe cooktop and the oven, the range being adapted to be positioned in akitchen cabinet and countertop structure; the invention comprising trimmeans between each top side edge of the range and the adjacent edge ofthe countertop, each trim means comprising at least one clip member andan elongated trim strip, the clip member being an angular spring memberformed at an acute angle with a horizontal leg having a hook on the freeend thereof, this leg of the clip being adapted to be located in thenarrow spacing between the cooktop and oven and held against removal bythe hooked end, the clip member also having an upwardly directed fingerportion that is biased against the side of the cooktop, the trim stripbeing an elongated angular member having a horizontal top flange and avertical bottom flange, the inner surface of the vertical bottom flangehaving a series of vertically spaced horizontal corrugations, while thefinger portion of the clip member has a down-turned barb for engagementin the valleys between the corrugations of the trim strip so that thetrim strip may be adjusted vertically with respect to the clip memberuntil the top flange of the trim strip rests down on the countertop, thebottom flange of the trim strip adapted to extend to the front edge ofthe countertop while the top flange of the trim strip is extended sothat it may be folded down over and under the front edge of thecountertop, and fastening means adapted to attach the folded-over end ofthe trim strip to the underside of the countertop.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,994,317 8/1961 More. 3,169,5182/1965 Scott 126-39 3,229,310 1/1966 Ensch.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, 1a., Primary Examiner. E. G. FAVORS, AssistantExaminer.

